The negative consequences of drug abuse affect
not only individuals who abuse drugs but also
their families and friends, various businesses,
and government resources. Although many of
these effects cannot be quantified, ONDCP
recently reported that in 2002, the economic
cost of drug abuse to the United States was
$180.9 billion.

The most obvious effects of drug abuse--which
are manifested in the individuals who abuse drugs--include ill health, sickness and, ultimately,
death. Particularly devastating to an abuser's health is the contraction of
needle borne
illnesses including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS through injection drug use. NSDUH
data indicate that in 2004 over 3.5 million individuals
aged 18 and older admitted to having
injected an illicit drug during their lifetime. Of
these individuals, 14 percent (498,000) were
under the age of 25. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) reports that 123,235
adults living with AIDS in the United States in
2003 contracted the disease from injection drug
use, and the survival rate for those persons is less
than that for persons who contract AIDS from
any other mode of transmission. CDC further
reports that more than 25,000 people died in
2003 from drug-induced effects.

Children of individuals who abuse drugs often are
abused or neglected as a result of the individuals'
preoccupation with drugs. National-level studies
have shown that parents who abuse drugs often
put their need to obtain and abuse drugs before
the health and welfare of their children. NSDUH
data collected during 2002 and 2003 indicate that
4.3 percent of pregnant women aged 15 to 44
report having used illicit drugs in the past month.
Moreover, that same data show that 8.5 percent of
new mothers report having used illicit drugs in the
past month. Children whose parents and other
family members abuse drugs often are physically
or emotionally abused and often lack proper
immunizations, medical care, dental care, and
necessities such as food, water, and shelter.

The risk to children is even greater when their
parents or guardians manufacture illicit drugs
such as methamphetamine. Methamphetamine
abusers often produce the drug in their own
homes and apartments, using hazardous chemicals
such as hydriodic acid, iodine, and anhydrous
ammonia. Children who inhabit such
homes often inhale dangerous chemical fumes
and gases or ingest toxic chemicals or illicit
drugs. These children commonly test positive
for methamphetamine and suffer from both
short- and long-term health consequences.
Moreover, because many methamphetamine
producers also abuse the drug, children commonly
suffer from neglect that leads to psychological
and developmental problems. NCLSS
data show that U.S. law enforcement agencies
report having seized 9,895 illicit methamphetamine
laboratories in 2004. These agencies
report that 2,474 children were affected by these
laboratories (i.e., they were exposed to chemicals,
they resided at laboratory sites, or they were
displaced from their homes), while 12 children
were injured and 3 children were killed.

The economic impact of drug abuse on businesses
whose employees abuse drugs can be significant.
While many drug abusers are unable to
attain or hold full-time employment, those who
do work put others at risk, particularly when
employed in positions where even a minor
degree of impairment could be catastrophic; airline
pilots, air traffic controllers, train operators,
and bus drivers are just a few examples. Quest
Diagnostics, a nationwide firm that conducts
employee drug tests for employers, reports that
5.7 percent of the drug tests they conducted on
individuals involved in an employment-related
accident in 2004 were positive. Economically,
businesses often are affected because employees
who abuse drugs sometimes steal cash or supplies,
equipment, and products that can be sold
to get money to buy drugs. Moreover, absenteeism,
lost productivity, and increased use of medical
and insurance benefits by employees who
abuse drugs affect a business financially.

The economic consequences of drug abuse
severely burden federal, state, and local government
resources and, ultimately, the taxpayer.
This effect is most evident with methamphetamine.
Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories
jeopardize the safety of citizens and
adversely affect the environment. Children, law
enforcement personnel, emergency responders,
and those who live at or near methamphetamine
production sites have been seriously
injured or killed as a result of methamphetamine
production. Methamphetamine users
often require extensive medical treatment; some
abuse, neglect, and abandon their children,
adding to social services costs; some also commit
a host of other crimes including domestic
violence, assault, burglary, and identity theft.
Methamphetamine producers tax strained law
enforcement resources and budgets as a result of
the staggering costs associated with the remediation
of laboratory sites. According to DEA, the
average cost to clean up a methamphetamine
production laboratory is $1,900. Given that an
average of 9,777 methamphetamine laboratory
seizures were reported to NCLSS each year
between 2002 and 2004, the economic impact
is obvious. DEA absorbs a significant portion of
such costs through a Hazardous Waste Cleanup
Program and in 2004 administered over 10,061
state and local clandestine laboratory cleanups
and dumpsites at a cost of over $18.6 million.
Nonetheless, resources of state and local agencies
also are significantly affected. For example,
69 percent of the county officials responding to
a 2005 survey by the National Association of
Counties report that they had to develop additional
training and special protocols for county
welfare workers who work with children
exposed to methamphetamine. Moreover, the
time and manpower involved in investigating
and cleaning up clandestine laboratories
increase the workload of an already overburdened
law enforcement system.